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by
Russ Slaten

We've enjoyed imports from England in the shape of tea, and gained an affinity for royalty from the Brits, but one of the latest things to come across the pond is dubstep.

Dubstep is a style of electronic dance music that finds its origins in the reggae offshoot known as dub, a British version of hip-hop known as 2-step, and the energy from a high-speed style of electronica known as drum and bass.

It's heavy on basslines and shares a genre-staple with the use of synthesizers.

"Your getting hip-hop that's coming from a positive 'one love' standpoint, that is being mixed and mashed up with Slayer, all the way to Nirvana, all the way to Gucci Mane, and all these top 40 influences," said Alaska Dubstep Owner and Operator Ryan Gallman.

Dubstep started in London in the early 2000's, gained popularity on UK dance charts, and Saw American musicians taking note.

"You get the Nicki Minajes, and the Snoops, and the Katy Perrys. They start to integrate, and kind of change their sound up, because they can mix and mash a lot of the music that they make, over heavy basslines. And it caters to a really, really popular club-going audience," said Gallman.

Sam Wilhoit out of Atlanta, Georgia says dubstep has seen such a rise in popularity due to its versatility.

"There's all different kinds of tempos, so the bass just kind of rides under the beat. There's fast beats, slow beats, just all different kinds of grooves, but then that same bass-heavy feeling under that. Which is why there's so many different variations on the dubstep sound," said Wilhoit.

In the last few years, America's pop artists have fused dubstep into a part of their sound, but American producers like Bassnectar have kept dubstep firmly grounded in its wobbling bass roots.

Local dubstep enthusiast Ryan Gallman has worked on bringing dubstep to Alaska.

"I got into it because dubstep really started bringing the community together and bringing a lot of my friends together too, for positive reasons, just to come and listen to new music," said Gallman.

If it gets you out on the dance floor, or just helps you explore a different style of music, then dubstep DJs and producers have accomplished their goal.

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Hello.
I am coming From wisconsin
And I play dubstep :D Can't wait to show you!

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